But She's Blonde
by Addster
Summary: It always struck her odd that in a family of dominant brunettes that one ended up...blonde
1. Concerto Enters

**AN: I've always wanted to write a story with the awesome Mito, but the idea for one never came to me...until now! *^* **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Naruto is still based in Japan, and I don't have enough money to fly my armada over there and take it...**

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><p>"She's blonde, Hashirama." Mito breathed as she held her newborn granddaughter for the first time, the swaddled baby lying in the crook of her arm.<p>

"And you're a red head, my dear Mito." The Hokage laughed and sat on the arm of the chair his wife was sitting in, black eyes looking down on the tiny baby.

"That's not what I meant."

Hashirama's smile faded as his attention turned from his grandchild to his wife.

"What _do_ you mean?"

Mito cast a careful glance over to her sleeping daughter-in-law lying in the hospital bed merely five feet away. Her son had gone for food after he handed his daughter off to her and hasn't popped in since.

"Do you remember that man we met at the dinner back around New Years?" the red head whispered gently as she readjusted the baby.

"Vaguely. Why?"

"Do you remember the amount of interest she," Mito cocked her head over to the baby's sleeping mother. "Took in him? He had sandy hair, very tall…remember?"

"Mito don't." Hashirama sighed and ran his hands down his face slowly, getting up and pacing lightly.

"Hashi, look at her! She looks nothing like her father." Mito hissed. Her voice, despite her control, woke the baby in her arms and she let out a gurgled cry. The new grandmother cooed down to the baby, stealing quick glances towards the mother sleeping in bed.

"Tsunade looks like her mother," Hashirama raised his hand towards the blonde woman lying in bed.

"But nothing like our son."

The Hokage became quite as his wife stared him down, her jade eyes pinning him to the wall.

"She's two hours old, Mito. It'll be years until she starts looking like anyone."

And so, being the good wife she was, Mito kept her mouth shut.

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><p>Four years later and she's holding her granddaughter's hand, her other hand on the top of her little blonde head as the toddler held on to the hem of her grandmother's kimono.<p>

"Is it gonna hurt, gramma?" Tsunade's hand tugged on the flowing tresses of Mito's ivory kimono.

"It might, dear." Her hand moved to cup the young girl's face to her hip, fingers coursing through the shimmering golden locks.

"A lot?" The girl raised her head up to meet her grandmother's eyes, her own honey-brown glittering in the fluorescent hospital lights.

"It's like getting pinched." Mito smiled and kneeled to her granddaughter's level.

"It only hurts for a second and you get a treat when it's all done. Come here," the red head licked her thumb and rubbed a small blemish off the child's face, then patting her cheek once it was gone.

"How many do I have to get? I'm scared." Tsunade's bottom lip jutted out and tears started bubbling in her eyes. She gathered the cloth of her grandmother's kimono in her tiny fists and buried her face in the silky fabric.

"Just a few. And I'll be right there with you, so don't be scared." Mito smiled softly and pulled Tsunade's face from her dress when the doctor walked in.

"Are you ready, Tsunade?"

"No."

"Oh, come on my little princess. Lets get this over with." Mito sighed as she picked the small girl up and followed the doctor back to the exam room.

"You can have a seat right here, milady." The doctor said as she took her seat and pulled a tray over, vials of vaccines lining the silver tray.

"She's gonna put those in me?" Tsunade squealed and tucked herself in her grandmother's body, burying her head in her neck.

"Remember what I said, Tsunade. It'll only hurt for a second." The doctor came over and rolled up the four year-olds sleeve, wiping it down with a disinfecting cloth.

"Your grandmother is right, Tsunade. Just hold her hand and look away." The black haired woman smiled and reached for the first needle, uncapping it and holding Tsunade's arm.

"Gramma."

"You're fine, darling, you're fine."

"Na-uh! I'm gonna die!"

"You will not die, child." Mito laughed in to her grandchild's hair as she watched the doctor move for another syringe.

"I got the same shots you're getting and I'm still alive."

"But those are worse! They're humongous…"

"Okay, I'm done." The doctor chirped as she disposed of the last syringe.

"You see that, you didn't even feel a thing." Mito smiled and rubbed Tsunade's cheek with the backs of her fingers.

"And since you were so brave, you get to pick out a treat." The doctor reached for a small container on her desk and tipped it so Tsunade could see the contents.

"Go ahead, pick what you want." She smiled and watched Tsunade stick her little hand in the jar.

"Is there anything else you need, milady? Any other tests or concerns?" Mito looked up at the doctor, about to open her mouth and say no when something came to mind.

"Yes actually, there is doctor."

"Yes ma'am?" Quickly looking down to make sure Tsunade was occupied with her candy; Mito motioned for the doctor to some closer.

"I need you to keep this under the strictest of wraps, no one but you is to know of this request. Can I trust you?"

"Yes ma'am."

Mito nodded, blinking and taking a breath.

"I want you to run a paternity test."

"On…" The woman's head tilted downwards towards Tsunade. Mito nodded.

"I can do that."

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><p>The Uzumaki immigrant was standing over her husband's grave, hair out of their usual buns and loose around her youthful face.<p>

"Our grandchildren are gone, Hashi. Baby Nawaki should be making his way up to see you as we speak. And Tsunade…" her hand balled into a fist while the other held an old, crinkled paper. Mito brought it to her face, reading it over and over again, even though she could recite it word by word at the drop of a hat.

"Has taken up her mother's drinking habits I'm afraid." She let slip a cynical laugh from her unpainted lips, closing her eyes and covering her face with her free hand.

"What happened to our family?" Mito clenched her teeth and let tears fall from her eyes.

"Grams…" a weary voice sounded from behind the old seal master, causing her eyes to snap open.

"Tsunade, how are you dear?" Quickly wiping her eyes and mustering the strength for a fake smile, Mito turned around to face her granddaughter.

In the bleariness of the tears, Mito could have sworn she saw her little darling grandchild standing there, beaming brightly with her arms outstretched for her. But after a few blinks, the precious little girl was gone and there stood a woman: a tired and broken woman.

"I'm okay. You okay? I know you only come here when you don't want to hit the bottle." Tsunade smirked and walked up to her grandmother, slipping a hand on her shoulder.

"Such wise words from someone so young. It's truly humbling." Mito scoffed sardonically and turned to meet eyes with Tsunade. There were dark circles under the honey pools, making her look older than her twenty-three years.

She was dressed in her jounin fatigue, her headband tied to her head with small specks of blood splattered on the cool steel plate.

"Well it's better than drinking." The blonde laughed darkly and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"Why don't you try it, then?"

"It's not strong enough." Silence ensued after the blonde lowered her head in prayer and dropped a flower on her grandfather's grave. She turned to leave, walking past her grandmother with a woeful smile.

"Darling wait." Mito grabbed her granddaughter's sleeve, her entire frame tensing from her fingers to her back.

"What is it, grams?" Tsunade turned back tiredly and waited.

"I want you to have this. It's something I feel you deserve to know." Mito handed off the paper and turned to face Tsunade.

She pulled her granddaughter's headband off and kissed her forehead, holding her blonde head to her lips.

"I'll always love you, no matter what." Stunned, Tsunade took the medical document from her grandmother and watched her walk off. Mito was never an overly affectionate person; at least Tsunade never saw it from her grandmother. Like she was in a trance, Tsunade lifted her hand to her forehead, pressing a finger to the spot where her grandmother's lips made contact with her forehead.

"Okay…" Tsunade whispered and eyed the old document in her hand, noting the date as she brought it closer to her face.

"Paternity test?"

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><p><strong>What were the results? A<strong>

**Well if you're a good infer-er, I think you know... *cackles evilly in lair***

**Hope you guys liked my first Mito story, it was loads fun to write!**

**PEACE :P**


	2. Crescendo Rising

**AN: I was planning on continuing this, and one reviewer was quite...ADAMANT (cough*Soraya the all Speaker*cough) that I do so. So here it is, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: The armada is still to pricey to make that kind of flight, I can't even book a coach seat...**

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><p>"So what did the doctor say, my dear?" Mito asked softly as she sat in the chair before her daughter-in-law, eyeing the growing bulge that was her stomach.<p>

"The baby is as healthy as a horse, mother. She should be due in early August." The blonde woman smiled and ran a soft hand over her stomach, blue eyes catching Mito's jade.

"Very good. And my son…how is he taking to fatherhood?" the blonde laughed, gnawing lightly on her finger as she cocked her head over to where her husband lay sleeping on the couch.

"He's excited. He wore himself out today finishing the baby's room. Have you seen it yet?" Mito nodded lightly, faking a polite smile as she felt an uneasy rumble in the pit of her gut.

The damn fox was acting up again.

She had read about the demon, studied the effects it had on the human body and emotions and blah, blah, blah. But it was nothing like what the scrolls had said because no one had ever had the brilliant idea to seal the beast in themself before.

Mito liked to consider it a point of personal pride at how easily she could tell when someone was lying. But now, with the vile creature pissing around inside her body, the sense was more than acute: it was perfect.

This woman, this gaudy woman her son had fallen head over heels for was lying to her.

Right to her face.

"He should be. A child is a wonderful blessing." Her tone was more than gentle, but the underlying edge was unmistakable. The blonde woman straightened in her seat, eyes narrowing and lips setting in a hard line.

"You don't trust me do you?"

"No."

"Well then that's something we have in common."

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><p>Lying on your deathbed, from what Mito had experienced, had become an overdramatized affair.<p>

It was neither comforting nor terrifying, her family was not by her side to comfort, and she had tangoed with death more than once, ergo the lack of terror.

It was just a matter of acceptance.

Mito sighed heavily, closing her eyes as one of her nurses walked out to fetch some water. Every bone in her body felt like dust, she was afraid to move in fear her old muscles would burst. She could feel the seal weakening on her stomach, she could feel the swirling lines retracting, their restraining power fading as they crept back to her navel.

Soon, it would just be a small black dot and she would be dead.

That's how they monitored her progress, they just checked to see if the seal was getting smaller. And it was shrinking fast.

Over the course of an hour, the number of ANBU around her hospital ward had all but doubled, the careful decision of the third Hokage.

Mito remembers that man from when he was a child under Tobirama's care, a small boy with fiery eyes and an ego that raged fiercer than the fox behind its bars.

The old woman was pulled from her memories by shouts and deadly threats echoing down the hall. She turned her head towards the source of the noises, hoping her hearing was still good enough to catch the gist of what was being said.

"…kill you…spoon…asshole if you don't…my grandmother. Do you know who I am?" Mito sighed and blew a strand of maroon-gray hair out of her eyes as the sound of sharp clacking resounded through the hall and got louder and louder. The Uzumaki smiled at the sound, it could mean only one thing.

"Incompetent monkeys." Tsunade growled as she stormed in to her grandmother's room, eyes angry and shoulders tense.

"Oh yes, those damn fools that don't know a thing." Mito smiled and welcomed her granddaughter with a hug. As frail as she was, she still managed to squeeze her arms around Tsunade's chest and pull her close.

"I've missed you and your hollering, dear." Tsunade pulled away and stood awkwardly next to her grandmother's bed, eyes downcast as they looked the woman over from head to toe, medical brain assessing the damage.

Tsunade bit her lip and took a step back, hand latching on to the head of the armchair beside her. Silently the blonde took her seat, eyes never leaving Mito.

"You're looking good, Tsunade."

"Stop." Tsunade bit out and rubbed her temple in an effort to quell the anger boiling inside her.

"Why was I not informed about your condition?"

"Because I told Saru not to."

"Why?" Her voice rose and sounded like the growl of an angry dog.

"I would have come back and helped-."

"I know you would have and that's exactly why I didn't want you here. You wouldn't have stopped trying to heal me." Mito sighed and pushed herself up farther against her pillows.

"Tsunade…there's nothing to save." Mito smiled, content as a cucumber.

"But grams," the blonde's voice was small now, cracking and straining against the pain swelling in her throat.

"It would have made it harder for you."

Tsunade sat in her chair with her mouth hanging open, eyes pained and brow creased into lines of angst.

"Do you still have that paper I gave you all those years ago?" Mito asked her granddaughter hoarsely, coughing lightly as she rubbed her leg under her blanket.

"Yes ma'am." Tsunade reached in to her coat and pulled out an old, crinkled piece of paper and handed it off to her grandmother.

"I know what it says, you hold it for now." Confused, the blonde retracted her hand and waited for her grandmother.

"Why?"

"Because I didn't trust your mother." Mito muttered angrily and averted her eyes to the far wall.

"And apparently I didn't trust your father either. I've always been a paranoid woman now that I look back on my life. And when I saw the results, I started to lose trust in myself."

"That doesn't make any sense, grams. How much morphine are they giving you?" Tsunade rose and checked Mito's monitor and I.V line.

"Not enough," the old woman chuckled as she watched Tsunade analyze her machines. Taking a small step forward, Tsunade gently pulled back the covers from her grandmother's midsection, meeting eyes with her for some sort of conformation, and receiving a weary sigh as a yes.

The busty blonde lifted the linen from Mito's stomach to where the seal was visible. She tried hiding it, but Tsunade couldn't keep the aching moan from slipping through her lips.

Mito's seal was no bigger than the circumference of a regular drinking glass, it was inching closer and closer to her belly-button, signaling her death was charging at her faster than a freight train.

"Grams," the amber-eyed blonde covered her grandmother up and fell back in to her chair, eyes clenched closed to keep the tears from falling.

"You changed the subject, darling."

"You're dying! I don't care about some stupid paternity test!"

"It wasn't stupid, Tsunade. It was important."

"It was stupid because it told you what you should have already knew." Tsunade cried softly as the tears finally came, streaming down her face in waves.

"Mom loved dad. She loved him so much but you were too paranoid to believe it. Because they weren't like you and grandpa doesn't mean she would cheat on him."

"I know that now, dear. I was wrong to ever think what I did." Mito closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"You are a Senju, Tsunade. I was stupid in thinking you weren't. You may have your mother's hair, but you have your grandfather's eyes. You have those honest eyes that I absolutely adore." Mito smiled and looked back at Tsunade, cringing slightly at the look she was giving her.

"And your caring and kind like your father, you'd give a stranger the shirt off your back. That temper though," Tsunade huffed and playfully rolled her eyes. "That's your mother, no Senju or Uzumaki has that short a fuse." The two women laughed lightly, the mood in the room changing from gloomy to tolerable.

"Thank you, grandma."

"No, no, no." Mito shook her head and patted the spot next to her on the bed, waiting for Tsunade to hop up. When she did, Mito wrapped her in a hug, letting the blonde fall in to her arms and rest her head on her shoulder.

"Thank you, darling."

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><p>It angered Tsunade that her grandmother had been so easily replaced by some arrogant little girl so quickly. Kushina was her name. She repulsed Tsunade for some strange reason and the blonde would never be able to put her finger on why.<p>

The funeral was a joke.

Her will was read; Tsunade inherited some substantial wealth, her mother as well. It was put in the bank and left there to gather dust in the Senju trust. Tsunade's mother, however, spent her share frivolously on silly things. Pretentious things only her mother would want, conceited and wasteful.

Like she was slapping Mito in the face.

So Tsunade paid a visit to her mother.

"I knew the old bat was paranoid, but this is just hilarious." The elder blonde cackled over a glass of hard liquor as she read the paternity test her daughter had handed to her.

"Please don't say things like that, mother." Tsunade voiced pitifully from her spot in the living room across from her mother.

"What'll she do, haunt me? Tsunade dear, please. She's dead, get over it. You have this to remember her by." Tsunade's mother waved the test in her hand and took a long sip from her glass.

"It just goes to show that you were untrustworthy even then,"

"Excuse me?" The older blonde let her glass come down hard on the table before her, vibrant blue eyes narrowing at her daughter.

"She didn't trust you."

"And I didn't trust her. Your father would always placate me about her, saying that she'd lighten up after you were born." She rose from her chair and grabbed her empty glass, heading over to a small mahogany cabinet and pulling out a bottle. Her motions were angry, she seemed to strangle the neck of the bottle as she ripped the cork out and clinked the lip of the bottle to her glass. Sawdust colored liquid came pouring out, tiny bubbles fizzing to the surface. Then, Tsunade's mother started chuckling sardonically.

"Nine months of dirty looks, thirteen hours of backbreaking labor, and twenty-five years of bickering with that woman. And she still wins." The mother filled her glass to the brim and took a long sip, seeming to want to swallow herself along with the burning alcohol.

"You're welcome anytime, Tsunade."

"Oh shut up, you sanctimonious bitch." Tsunade shot out of her chair and got right in her mother's face, honey eyes boring craters in her mother's blue.

"You've got to make everything about you, everyone has to pay for you. I'm sick of it! I'm glad Nawaki died before he was old enough to realize what a pretentious whore you are."

The sound of the slap rang through the large house, clattering through the empty halls and reverberating through the mother's hand up to her shoulder.

Tsunade's cheek was a sharp red with a bloody scratch where her mother's diamond ring sliced her skin.

"How dare you."

Tsunade raised her hand to her cheek, looking at the blood on her fingers. Silently, she wiped her cheek and made eye contact with her mother.

"_I was a good mother! She twisted you until you turned in to this! Blame your good old grandma!" _Tears started flowing from her blue eyes as she took back her hand to cover her mouth. Sobs wracked her body as she fell in to her couch and looked at her daughter.

Gone was her once bright, bubbly little girl.

Gone was the beautiful baby she once adored.

Gone was the kindness from her eyes.

All that was left was the fire of hate brewing in her honey orbs.

"You wanna know why dad had that heart attack?" Tsunade walked over to the couch where her mother sobbed, stride powerful and fearless as she stopped and leaned down. She lowered her head to her mother's level and met her eyes.

"He was so tired of listening to you whine about his mother." Boldly, Tsunade took her mother by the chin and pulled her face closer to hers, so close she could taste the liquor on her lips.

"She's dead. Get over it."

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><p>Hashirama had fallen asleep in the chair beside her, his hand limply reaching for her.<p>

But Mito was much too occupied with the bundle in her arms to pay him any attention. Her granddaughter had just opened her eyes, the irises a soft blue, a usual thing with newborns.

But the girl, and Mito would swear by this till her death, was looking right at her with tiny hands reaching for the tags in her hair. Like she was studying her grandmother with her newfound sight, and Mito was enthralled with the child.

"Hello Tsunade." Mito whispered and let the baby grab her long, slender finger and take it into her own, eyeing the appendage with sheer fascination.

The Hokage's wife smiled, pulling back the soft white blanket her granddaughter was wrapped in and cupping her head. Her fingers wormed through the soft strands of her hair, the color so fair it looked white.

It was then that she decided being a grandmother was better than being a mother, you can borrow the baby whenever and give them back before they get nasty. It was great.

The newborn made a sudden gurgle and a coo, raising a hand for another of Mito's fingers, wanting to conquer her.

"You're just too cute, child." Mito smiled broadly and brought the baby closer to her face, giggling softly when the baby reached for a tendril of her long red hair.

"You're going to be such a beautiful girl."

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><p><strong>Fin! <strong>

**For now I guess...you never know, I may be haphazard with updates or spontaneous ideas may come floating my way...no promises. :)**

**PEACE :P**


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